Daniel and Connor

[choosetoforget]

Daniel's been having the dreams again. They come almost every night, waking him from even the deepest sleep. And there's always the same name that remains in his memory.

Connor.

He knows what it means, of course. Everyone has dreams like that. Everyone dreams of their soulmate, of the one that they're meant to be with, whether that includes intimacy or not, but he's nearly twenty three now and every Connor he's ever met has let him down. Granted, there were only two and one was in a primary class and the other was a server at a restaurant he went to, but he still feels like it could have been better.

Instead of trying to go to sleep, to face the dreams that he knows are coming, he makes himself some tea and watches the lights from the city out of his window. It might be the early evening, but the CyberLife tower in the distance remains illuminated.

Strange, he thinks, after the riots and what he's seen on the news, that the night seems calm. The kettle whistles and he takes it off the stove, then decides against it.

Tea isn't going to fix anything.

He wants a drink. Pulling on his coat and his boots against the snow, he steps out of his little rental and starts walking along the sidewalk, stopping only when a taxi pulls to a park beside him and someone walks out.

"Oh. Good evening."

Comments

[brutallyefficient]

With so many people uncomfortable with the presence of an android, it was anyone's guess how he would react. An apology and something that sounds more sympathetic is as much as he can ask for.

"I'm sorry. I hope this doesn't appear misleading." Connor says. His gaze is pinned to the floor. "I couldn't risk being outdoors like this with everything that's happening."

[choosetoforget]

"God no. Please don't apologize!" he says softly, turning towards him fully. "I - You're safe here, Connor. I promise."

He can't think about the implication of this.

Surely this isn't his Connor.

But.

He picks up his tea again. "Did you still want to watch the documentary? Because these penguins are rather adorable." And he gives him a hesitant smile, hoping that he hadn't said something wrong.

[brutallyefficient]

Safe is something he hadn't been in a long time - if ever. The thought of it is enough to settle him even if he's still not quite sure he can trust it.

Connor brings his knees up and makes himself as comfortable as possible. "I'd like that."

Not content to let the conversation end at that and sit quietly the entire time, he decides to recite some facts. Maybe it would be interesting and encourage more communication. "Did you know that the Galápagos penguin is the only type of penguin found north of the Equator?" It said somewhat carefully, trying to figure out if Daniel is up to talk further. "They can be found by the equator as well."

[choosetoforget]

Daniel turns on the television and the documentary, but is absolutely fascinated by what he says, too. He immediately takes out his phone and searches for them, showing Connor. "I didn't know that, but look at them. You never hear about those penguins." And then, as if Connor had never revealed his secret, as if he hadn't just told him that he was an android, Daniel continues, talking a bit faster. "Oh, the Emperor penguins are the ones with the funny sort of eyelashes, aren't they?" he wonders, moving closer to the other man so he can find a picture of them.

[brutallyefficient]

Connor leans over to look at the pictures on the phone. As if in tune with the energy Daniel brings, he begins talking quicker and more enthusiastically too. It's so rare that someone would share his fascination with something rather than dismiss it.

Connor points to a picture on the phone. "I don't know if I would call them eyelashes, as such. But it does give them a distinct look that sets them apart from all the other birds." Speaking of! "The Detroit zoo has a habitat specifically for penguins if you would enjoy observing them firsthand."

[choosetoforget]

"They're absolutely eyelashes!" he says with a bright laugh. "What else would you call them? Do they have this kind at the zoo?"

Daniel's not actually been to a zoo, not since he was a boy, at least, but suddenly the thought of it is a lot more appealing now that Connor's said it.

[brutallyefficient]

What else would he call them...? A good point actually, he's not entirely sure.

"The zoo has several kinds of penguins. Given their dwindling population, the penguins that reside in the zoo are android replicas, made to resemble the originals as closely as possible in both appearance and behavior." He leans in. "This species is on their itinerary." Connor chatters away contently.

"I've never been to the zoo personally, but they have been praised by local news stations for their authenticity. They also have an interactive exhibit."

[choosetoforget]

"Hm. Maybe I'll take a day to go out there," he decides. "Might be fun." He puts his phone away and points. "Oh! Look. This is where they talk about how penguins swim."

He doesn't move away from him, keeping his close proximity, especially when Chess gets off of the rug and jumps up on the other side of Daniel.

But there is something just inescapable about this interaction. Something he can't ignore. Something that's eating at him. "Connor. Do you dream very often?"

[brutallyefficient]

The question comes out of nowhere, it seems.

"No..." He begins. "Androids don't sleep as humans do, so they're not capable of dreaming." He seems to turn the question over in his mind and give it some thought outside of the rehearsed answer. "However, I have had some strange occurrences one might describe similarly while in standby." He looks down and shakes his head. "I'm not sure what to make of them."

[choosetoforget]

Daniel nods. "There's a reason I - I invited you here, Connor. Not simply because of this." And he gestures to the television. "It's because I dream of a person with your name. And you said - you know my voice. I had to know."

[brutallyefficient]

Connor looks down.

"I thought you might have worked at CyberLife because I recognized your voice." It seemed like the only local conclusion to draw.

"I heard it occasionally during the months I was placed in their storage room. The voice would ask me if I was all right or how I was doing on that day. It helped with what I now understand was loneliness." Of course, it was dismissed as some extra data he couldn't explain.

[choosetoforget]

Somehow, knowing that his voice had been so helpful to Connor is soothing. It's encouraging. And then it hits him.

"You heard my voice? Specifically mine? Are you sure?"

How is this possible?

[brutallyefficient]

"I wasn't lying before." He informs. "I was a prototype detective android. I have voice recognition software preinstalled to mitigate any uncertainty that voice samples are different." All it takes is comparing the two voices. "It's highly unlikely that it was someone else. You speak exactly the same."

[choosetoforget]

Fascinating. But he doesn't press for more information on that. There's a more pressing question he has to ask.

"What do you think it means?"

[brutallyefficient]

"I think..." Connor looks up as he turns the question over in his mind. "...That there are some occurrences in life that can't be explained." Like why he had become aware of emotions, why he dared to fight at all when it wasn't in his programming.

Connor looks back optimistically. "All I can conclude for sure is that it must mean that I'm supposed to be here. With you."

[choosetoforget]

Daniel's smile is warm and inviting and he hesitantly reaches over to put his fingers against Connor's sleeve. "I think you're right. Now, let's finish this show since you've missed a quarter of it," he says lightly, feeling as if something right has settled into place.

[brutallyefficient]

"I've-" Connor glances at the television, where there is a penguin waddling across the screen with a herd of similar-looking penguins in the background. "Oh..." He says in realization, though somehow he barely registered that the documentary was even playing given how involved he had been with their conversation.

He watches some of the documentaries and passively all the information to memory. Although he can't help but simultaneously keep an eye on what was happening outside through various news outlets. The situation is still tense on a country-wide scale.

Connor suddenly asks, "Do you think I could stay here until tomorrow?" In spite of what he sees it may be wise not to go outside for a while.

[choosetoforget]

Daniel, startled by the sudden request, just blinks at him a moment and nods. "Oh. Yes, of course," he assures him without even thinking about it. "They've cancelled school and work for a while, so I'm not going anywhere."

Again, he puts a hand on his sleeve. "What's wrong?" He knows that Connor isn't thinking about the documentary. Or the show. Or anything. Now that Daniel knows the truth, he can't help but worry.

[brutallyefficient]

Connor looks up at the television and squints his eyes. It takes only a moment to find the frequency that it resides on, his LED blinks, and he flips the channel to a news station. Some protests - and few celebrations - of androids on full display.

The news shows some footage of Markus that has been circulated around every channel along with repeated words from President Warren. It's then divulged that some private citizens have taken matters 'into their own hands' and that everyone is advised to stay indoors. They throw words around like crisis, panic, and dangerous.

"I don't think it's a good idea for me to be outside right now." He could handle a few humans with weapons, sure, but not a crowd. "I would feel safer here."

[choosetoforget]

Daniel sits forward, arms on his knees, when the television changes. "Oh."

He watches in horror, in fascination, and nods once. "Yes, of course," he assures him again, though there's more emotion in his words, more feeling than he thought possible. "I would insist on it, even if you didn't ask. I don't - you can't be out there. Do you - need to talk to your friend? The one you were going to?"

[brutallyefficient]

Connor looks away from the screen, and with his shifted attention the television flips back to the documentary.

He shakes his head. "I could call him, but he never answers the phone. I think he deletes any voicemail he receives without having listened to it." Given how he'd left him voice messages at work and he'd never responded to them it seems like a reasonable guess. That could be something he would address later.

His expression is forced into something more positive out of sheer habit. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to inconvenience you."

[choosetoforget]

"Connor."

He reaches forward and pauses the show. "Connor, you are not an inconvenience. You are - you said it yourself. You were supposed to be here. And you're going to stay as long as you want." He reaches over and this time, puts his hand over his. "I don't know what's going to happen with the city or any of it, but I know that you being here is all I want."

[brutallyefficient]

Connor looks on, appreciative. It's so different to have someone who actually treats him with such warmth and regard.

"I'm sorry. It's routine to apologize." He turns his hand palm up as an acknowledging gesture, letting their hands sit on top of one another. "You're the first person who hasn't treated me like an inconvenience."

[choosetoforget]

Daniel sucks in a breath softly. "That's unfortunate," he tells him. "Because I think you are the opposite of inconvenient. So. Is there anything that you need?" he wonders, genuinely interested. "If you're going to stay here, then I want to make sure you're comfortable. And I - haven't had anyone here in a long time. I don't really have company over a lot."

[brutallyefficient]

That seems to make sense. The apartment is filled with one person's personal effects. No clashing items that indicated anyone else lived there, no communal items that someone might bring out with guests, nothing.

"Then I'll have to make it worth the wait." He says, trying to be optimistic about the situation.

Though is there anything that would make him more... 'comfortable'? Connor glances at his shirt where a trace of blue blood still lingers from when he was shot at CyberLife tower. It should evaporate within some hours, but there's always a risk of getting it on something in the meantime. "Is there a shirt I could change into...?"